


Diverted

by Tish



Category: Sapphire and Steel
Genre: Gen, Time Loop, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21886864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tish/pseuds/Tish
Summary: Sapphire and Steel investigate an unusual flight diversion.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Diverted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tangentti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangentti/gifts).



Sapphire sensed a spark of exasperation as she appeared from behind the curtain dividing the sections and started to serenely glide down the aisle. Steel, the source of the exasperation, opened the door of the tiny cubicle and emerged onto the other end of the second aisle.

 _Draw across and pull in_ , Sapphire said to him as she walked silently past the rows of sleeping passengers, watchful for anything unusual.

 _I understand how the doors work,_ came the silent, testy response as Steel walked slowly along. Have you sensed anything, yet?

 _An early example of a ultra-long-haul flight of the early twenty-first century, carbon-fibre construction, no engineering issues. Nothing special about the passengers or crew apart from us_ , Sapphire said _. You have the aisle seat_ , she added just as Steel reached an empty row.

An impression of an airline ticket in his inner jacket pocket made itself known to Steel. A little suggestion upon the minds of the other flight crew made them remember greeting their new colleague before the flight departed. To any casual observer, they were just one passenger and flight attendant among many, stuck for the greater part of a day in a tube flying at forty thousand feet around the globe.

As Sapphire reached the end of her aisle, the door of the other toilet opened and a ill-looking woman emerged, only for her to stop mid-step and stare in shock at Sapphire, all remaining colour draining from her face. “No,” the woman moaned in terror, managing to take a staggered step back, only to slam against a wall and slide down to her knees.

Steel exchanged a questioning look with Sapphire as another flight attendant got up from her jump seat hidden behind a dividing panel and knelt by the woman. “Are you ill, ma'am?”

Sapphire cautiously approached, sensing a disturbance in time surrounding the woman.

“This is different. You're never here, you're _there_ ,” the terrified woman said as she slid back against the wall, trying to push herself as far away as possible.

The other flight attendant stole a confused glance back at Sapphire. “Perhaps get her some water,” she said, pausing to search her memory, “Sapphire, isn't it?”

“Yes. Of course,” Sapphire replied smoothly as she went by them into the galley.

All the while, the woman stared up at her, a look of foreboding and dread upon her face. “It's going to happen here, now,” she said very quietly.

“I think we should get you back to your seat. Perhaps we can get a doctor to check you over, you're very pale and clammy,” the attendant said in a quiet, soothing voice.

Sapphire returned with a plastic cup of water. “Ms. Barlow is in the middle of a five-across, perhaps she'll be more comfortable elsewhere. There's two seats free beside Mr. Steel. I'm sure he won't mind moving to a window seat.”

Steel stood and moved across while Ms. Barlow robotically let herself be guided over, seemingly at peace with whatever she knew or imagined was going to happen. She unprotestingly took the water and sipped it.

“You had the bag with rainbows, didn't you? I'll bring it over for you,” Sapphire said softly.

Ms. Barlow downed the rest of the water in one gulp and turned to stare at Steel. “You're here, too,” she said in a small, resigned voice.

“We know something unusual is about to happen, that is why we're here, Ms. Barlow,” Steel whispered. “Why you recognise us is unknown at this moment, but we will help you.”

Barlow searched Steel's face, despite his stern demeanour, she felt she could trust him somewhat. She turned to face Sapphire as she knelt by her with her bag, feeling a surge of hope. Swapping to the middle seat, she patted the aisle seat for Sapphire to sit. “Right, we don't have much time,” she whispered urgently. “There's a flash and noise, then I'm suddenly in another plane, but everything's old-fashioned. You two are there, but dressed like the time. Then it happens, flash, bang, and I'm back here. Rinse and repeat. I feel like I've been up here for a month.”

“The plane is structurally sound, there are no elements aboard that would compromise its integrity. That leaves the question of unknown external forces,” Steel replied carefully, still keeping his voice low.

“External forces,” Barlow repeated. “Like,” she silently mimed a missile by flicking a finger off from her hand.

Sapphire tilted her head doubtfully. “Rebecca, may I call you Rebecca? We might not be dealing with human forces.”

“Aliens,” Rebecca said sarcastically. “Brilliant.”

“Well.” Sapphire simply smiled.

Rebecca looked up along the aisle. “Your friend's back, and her mate looks like he wants to handcuff me.”

Sapphire rose to meet them. “It seems Ms. Barlow had a slight reaction to her air sickness medication. She's feeling much better already.”

Rebecca felt the wave of reassurance emanating from Sapphire and watched them walk away. She turned to Steel, pointing at the seat-back display. “Nearly time,” she said sadly.

Sapphire sat down and let Rebecca slip her hand in hers, Steel moving his hand over with a mental shrug, so she could hold his.

^^^

The noise seemed to be internal, a screeching sound coming from within Rebecca's body, her eyes filling with flashes of light. Dizziness and heaviness overwhelmed her, only the touch of Sapphire and Steel's hands kept her from screaming out from the pain.

^^^

It felt different now. The seat was wider but harder, but at least it existed. The screeching sound had dissipated, replaced by the sound of engines, louder than before, and with a different pitch. Rebecca kept her eyes closed, still holding their hands, waiting for the nausea to dissipate.

 _Nineteen fifties, the dawn of the jet age. There's a design flaw in this model, but this particular aircraft is not in immediate danger_. Sapphire took in the décor, and the attire of the passengers and crew, smiling at Steel's conservative attire. Steel took a cursory look at the enclosed engines on the wing, then fixed his gaze upon Sapphire, mostly suppressing his surprise at her appearance, much to her delight.

“Here we go again,” Rebecca said quietly as she opened her eyes.

Sapphire took Rebecca's passport from her bag, now a functional, black handbag. “It's a genuine document of the time,” she said as she held her hand over the small, black book. “All the items are a natural part of the time period.”

“Except me, and you two. That's my birthday, but I'm not _that_ old,” Rebecca said with a bitter laugh as she opened it to the photo page. She checked her watch. “It'll happen again in three hours. The exact same location, too, I think.”

“Yes, but not exactly,” countered Steel. “We're at a lower altitude.”

Rebecca sighed. “I keep thinking of what's the same, apart from me. Did some haunted spare parts come from this plane and get put into mine? You hear about that, they put any old screw on a part, and it doesn't fit properly, and everyone ends up in the drink.”

Sapphire listened as she sensed their surroundings. “We should get back to your time before trying to break the loop. In the meantime, we should plan a way out.”

“I've screamed and shouted, trying to get the plane to divert. I've claimed illness, tried to open the doors, everything,” Rebecca said wearily.

Sapphire gave her a gentle smile. “Well, we're here now. We have a few tricks up our sleeves. Meanwhile, you're exhausted. Get some sleep.”

“Easier said than done,” muttered Rebecca, just before a wave of relaxation overcame her. She closed her eyes and fell into an immediate, deep sleep.

 _There is something else, Steel,_ Sapphire said. _It's like echoes of ripples expanding across time._

 _Across dimensions, perhaps?_ Steel answered. _Yes, I've been wondering about her recognising us._

Sapphire rose and walked the single aisle past sleeping passengers. _So, a parallel version of ourselves first appeared on this aircraft, and perhaps jumped to the future with Rebecca?_

 _I can only imagine how the higher powers are responding to this conundrum,_ mused Steel.

^^^

She dreamt of a chair scraping across a floor in another room, and a light flickering, then woke.

“Back again?” She asked, bleary-eyed and shifting in her seat.

Sapphire knelt by her, eyes twinkling. “We have a plan.”

Rebecca looked over at the empty window seat. “Is your friend going to make us fly to Cuba, then?”

“Not tonight, no,” Sapphire answered.

At that moment, there was a flickering of the inflight entertainment screens and a Linux boot-screen appeared, replacing the channels with the map, and the odd movie still playing to a sleeping passenger. Nearby, someone swore softly in the silence and rustled in a backpack for their tablet.

Rebecca swallowed a rising panic, slowly realising that this was different to _her_ light-and-sound show. She inhaled deeply and let Sapphire squeeze her hand.

Somewhere down in a cramped compartment, Steel's prickles of irritation were like water off a duck's back for Silver.

 _You do realise they won't divert simply because the entertainment system is non-operational_ , Steel said silently.

 _You don't know human beings, Steel_ , came Silver's amused reply.

 _Sapphire says there are only seven passengers still awake_ , Steel retorted.

There was silence as Silver pulled another series of circuits. _This'll wake them up,_ he silently and gleefully sent to Steel.

Sapphire watched some passengers start to stir, waking up with disgust, as a flight attendant paused outside a set of toilets. Along the rows, more passengers woke as the smell drifted, colliding with the smell wafting from the aft-most bathrooms.

Rebecca woke with a start, her hand moving instantly to cover her face. “Shit!”

“There's been a backup in the bathrooms,” Sapphire said innocently. “Put your seatbelt on, we'll be landing soon.”

Rebecca looked to the seatback screen with its eternally loading page, then checked her watch. “We're not going to go back again, are we?”

“We'll soon find out,” Sapphire replied, inscrutable as ever.

Rebecca thought the time loop was bad enough, but now time seemed to crawl as the plane slowly descended, edging to the closest airport.

Sapphire had joined the attendants in handing out damp towels to help block out the smell, but passengers still complained.

"Miss, I swear I'm gonna open that door if we don't land right now," one man snarled.

Sapphire's gaze penetrated to his core. "You can try, sir, but know this. I will personally haul you up and lock you inside one of those fragrant washrooms until we land. Now, keep seated, seatbelt on, and move your tray table to the upright position."

Stunned, the man obeyed her to the letter.

A rich laugh entered Sapphire's mind and she smiled as she walked the aisle. _I hope you two intend to repair the systems you damaged, Silver_ , she replied.

^^^

The landing was textbook, and cheers rang out among the passengers.

Legs shaking, Rebecca trailled behind as everyone clamoured to get off the plane, phones already out and calling to complain. As she stepped onto the jetbridge, Sapphire and Steel stood nearby, a red-haired pilot appearing from seemingly nowhere to join them. Steel turned to him and rolled his eyes as the man spruced up his tie. Sapphire beamed, bright as a gemstone, as the three faded away.

"I need a drink," Rebecca announced to herself.


End file.
